


Sunlight

by Ally_Cross



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-14 21:13:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11216385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ally_Cross/pseuds/Ally_Cross
Summary: A nightmare, then a dream come true





	Sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> Since this is an original work, I came up with the characters and scenario, so please do not repost or share without my permission.

I stood in the darkness, shivering in terror.  All around me, noise.  Too much noise.  Noise from the howling wind, rattling the walls around us.  Noise from the water dripping onto the stone floor around us.  Noise from the countless others around me, begging for freedom, begging for food, begging for death.  I wanted it to stop.  I wanted to run away from this dark place as fast as I could and never look back.  I couldn't because there was no way out of the cage.  Cold metal wires stretched around me, trapping me inside like prey in the hunter's claws.  The floor I stood on was made of metal too, always ruthlessly freezing.  It was barely enough room to move, much less escape, but I tried.  I tried squeezing through the wires, digging through the floor, but my efforts only left me bloody and bruised.  My body should have given out in that cold darkness.  It should have starved, sustained only from the meager scraps that were thrown to us, barely enough to keep anyone alive.  It should have frozen to death in the midst of cold steel and harsh wind.  It should have bled to death from my escape attempts, each one ending in the metal ripping away pieces of my flesh.  But one thing kept me alive.  Each day, the creaking and groaning of rusty metal would resonate throughout the darkness. 

Then, sunlight would pour in, illuminating the darkness.  I would drink in every moment of that blessed sunlight.  The slight warmth would thaw out my skin, even for a moment.  It carried the smell of freedom into my cage, giving me hope that there was a bright world outside this darkness.  Through the light, I could see shapes and outlines of unknown wonders, only confirming my hopes.  During those moments, I could taste the freedom I craved, but then, it would end as a large, shadowy figure blocked the light, plunging the world into darkness again.  The room would erupt into panic.  Terrified whimpers echoed through the dark, scaring me even more.  It was the monster, the monster who haunted the nightmares of those in the darkness.  Every day, he would choose one of us and carry our cage outside.  No one knew what happened outside those doors but one thing was certain.  If he chose you, you were never seen again.  I cowered in the corner of my cage, praying that he wouldn't choose me.  I squeezed my eyes shut.  _I don't want to die!  I don't want to die!  I don't want to die!_ I screamed in my head, though I didn't dare make a sound.  Suddenly, the clomping of hard footsteps began to head in my direction, growing louder and louder.  I peeked.  The monster was coming towards me, his arm stretched out. 

"No!  Please stop!  Please!" I whimpered.  I tried to scoot away, but all I felt was cold metal pressing against my back.  The monster paid no heed to my pleas.  His hand was stretched out towards me, white claws determined to rip me to shreds.  I cried out, the coldness of death just inches away.  Just as I felt his icy touch on my face, I woke up, shivering. 

I blinked the sleep from my eyes, trying to make them adjust to the harsh light.  Instead of a metal floor, I was lying on a bed of shredded paper.  Above me, the light was humming a strange noise.  I lay my head back down, gathering my thoughts.  A nightmare.  It had just been a nightmare.  That had all happened a month ago before the monster had been lead away with metal around his wrists and I had been brought here.  I didn't know where "here" was, but it was heaven compared to the dark place.  Here, I was given decent food and clean water.  Here, my wounds had been treated by kind people, despite my initial distrust. 

Suddenly, the door opened and a woman stepped in.  She was one of the nice people who had cared for me when I first came here and I liked her.  I greeted her and she smiled back at me.  She came over and unlatched the lock to my cage, all the while speaking to me.  Though I couldn't understand her, her tone was kind and nurturing.  She came inside and knelt beside me, petting me on the head and scratching me behind the ears.  Her touch was magic, shooing away the remnants of the nightmare.  I craned my head up and licked her face.  She giggled at my gratitude, then she reached behind her and pulled out a long blue rope with a loop at the end.  Unaware of what it was, I growled at it, hoping to get some reaction.  But the woman kept cooing in soft, gentle tones, calming me down as she slipped the loop over my neck.  It fit perfectly, not too loose or too tight, and the rope felt soft around my neck.  She praised me, scratching me under the chin this time.  Then, she took the other end of the rope and lead me out.  I obeyed, cautious and curious about what was happening. 

We walked out the door and into another room where a man and a little girl were waiting.  I stopped and stared at the girl for a moment, not believing what I saw.  The girl had hair the color of sunlight flowing over her shoulders.  It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  The sight of it immediately reminded me of the hope that had kept me alive and the warmth that had thawed my frozen body.  I barked in excitement, wagging my tail as hard as I could.  The little girl giggled and smiled at me.  Then, she reached her hand out, petting my head as gently as she could.  I delighted in her touch, which was as kind as the woman's.  Suddenly, a whistle woke me from my euphoria.  I looked to see where it had come from.  The man was now holding the end of the blue rope and was gently pulling it, urging me to come along.  The little girl took a few steps ahead of me and urged me on too.  I didn't know them, but I truly felt like I could trust them.  So, I followed the girl with the sunlit hair.  Though I didn't know what place I was going to, I knew that it would be okay.  No... it would be more than okay.  It would be home.              

**Author's Note:**

> Another short story inspired by my friend. She loves dogs and she has beautiful blonde hair, so I figured why not?


End file.
